History Of Byron Bay
The original inhabitants of Byron Bay were the Arakwal people who were a part of the Bundjalung nation. The Arakwal people originally named Byron Bay, Cavvanbah, meaning meeting place. Cavvanbah served as the name of Byron until 1894 when it changed to Byron Bay.
Sailing by in 1770, Captain James Cook name Cape Byron. Cape Byron was named after Admiral Byron and not Cook's nephew, poet Lord Byron. However the poetic idea took and many of the streets in Byron Bay are named after famous poets.
For many years, Byron Bay has been a working class port town. Throughout years a number of dairy stations had been established in the district. In 1895 a co-operative was formed and planted next to the railway line, to provide storage for perishable goods from the district stations, to manufacture and to sell and export dairy products. This was the start of Norco.
From 1913 to 1920 a meat works was operated on the shore of Belongil.
From the 1930's a sand mining business extracted minerals from the beaches, that was established between parts of Ballina and Brunswick Heads (as seen in image 1).
1950 marked the start of the Byron Bay Whaling Co., who began capturing and killing whales until 1962 when the business shut down. Through the years that the business was operating, the whaling industry took in as many as 150 humpback whales per year (as seen in image 2).
Byron’s shift to a holiday destination started in 1960’s when surfers discovered Byron (as seen in image 3) and settlers began coming from the cities. Since then Byron Bay is a well known international holiday destination, which is continually found by new and younger generations. In 1973 Nimbin’s Aquarious Festival established Byron Bay as a hippy/alternative town.
Since the 1990 tourism is the largest industry in Byron Bay as still is today, with many people coming from all over the world.
Over the past 30 years Byron has become a destination for holidays, pleasure, healing, nature and alternative lifestyles.
In the present, the traditional owners – the bundjalung people – have an active role in managing the Arakwal National Park along with other areas of Crown land returned to them.
Sailing by in 1770, Captain James Cook name Cape Byron. Cape Byron was named after Admiral Byron and not Cook's nephew, poet Lord Byron. However the poetic idea took and many of the streets in Byron Bay are named after famous poets.
For many years, Byron Bay has been a working class port town. Throughout years a number of dairy stations had been established in the district. In 1895 a co-operative was formed and planted next to the railway line, to provide storage for perishable goods from the district stations, to manufacture and to sell and export dairy products. This was the start of Norco.
From 1913 to 1920 a meat works was operated on the shore of Belongil.
From the 1930's a sand mining business extracted minerals from the beaches, that was established between parts of Ballina and Brunswick Heads (as seen in image 1).
1950 marked the start of the Byron Bay Whaling Co., who began capturing and killing whales until 1962 when the business shut down. Through the years that the business was operating, the whaling industry took in as many as 150 humpback whales per year (as seen in image 2).
Byron’s shift to a holiday destination started in 1960’s when surfers discovered Byron (as seen in image 3) and settlers began coming from the cities. Since then Byron Bay is a well known international holiday destination, which is continually found by new and younger generations. In 1973 Nimbin’s Aquarious Festival established Byron Bay as a hippy/alternative town.
Since the 1990 tourism is the largest industry in Byron Bay as still is today, with many people coming from all over the world.
Over the past 30 years Byron has become a destination for holidays, pleasure, healing, nature and alternative lifestyles.
In the present, the traditional owners – the bundjalung people – have an active role in managing the Arakwal National Park along with other areas of Crown land returned to them.